First trip last night to the new Fillmore to see Gov't Mule. Went with high hopes. A new venue,with a wide open space to design and THEY DID EVERYTHING WRONG! I am 53 yrs old, and yes, I still like to rock out. My husband and I have been to venues literally all ove the US and even Europe.Yes, the show was sold out, but that's no excuse for our horrible experience. Warren Haynes and Gov't Mule are my fav band, we lost count of how many times we've seen them. And we walked out LESS THAN AN HOUR after the show started after driving up from Columbia, SC.
1)Is it a bar or music venue? There were TV screens everywhere. VERY distracting from the music. Why not put the show on the TV's? At least maybe some of us could have seen the show!
2)The bars are poorly placed. They should be further back so bar patrons (who each had to wait many minutes) don't intrude on those watching the show.
Beers were NINE DOLLARS. I don't mind paying a fair price, but I HATE BEING JACKED!!
Due to the location of the bars, we couldn't get away from people takling. We couldn't even hear the MULE!! Since we couldn't get to a bar or hear the music, I quess it's NEITHER.
3)The show was SOLD OUT. By that they mean that you WILL stand packed like sardines behind invisible lines on the floor. Why aren't the lines reflective?
4)There is only one set of RESTROOMS and they are on the far side of the stage. Couldn't get there thru the crowds. I finally used the parking lot.
5)A STAFF MEMBER wearing a BLACK STAFF SHIRT and Black Pants SHOVED ME!And I was behind their little line. I'm not some kid causing trouble, I'm a 53 year old woman! UNACCEPTABLE!I tapped him on the shoulder and SHOVED HIM BACK.
6)We stood for nearly 2 hours before the show even started.(Our choice). But inside there is NOWHERE to sit. Seemed like everywhere we tried to stop or get thru crowds, a STAFF member was there to make you move. How hard would it be to put in bleacher seats in a small are in the back? ANYTHING.
6)The SOUND SYSTEM, which looked so promising, only sounded decent right in front of the stage. One of the reasons we left was because we couldn't even hear the music!! We got in our car and listened to a live Mule Track on the way home and it was MUCH BETTER.
7)The Parking Lot: we arrived early, about 5:30 for an 8:00 show. There wasn't a single port-o-john or place to go the bathroom. There were garbage cans at the entrance only, The lot was full of trash.
8)A vendor set up on the fringes and was promptly shut down.
Don't you guys GET IT???
You need to recognize that your audience is not all 21-25 year olds.We're in our 50's and there were many folks older than us there.There are only 2 venues that we will NEVER RETURN to and now the CHARLOTTE FILLMORE IS #1 on that list.
All that money spent, and it could have been so good.